Studiology

Fat Tuesday

On the eve of Fat Tuesday, I share the last days of my trip to New Orleans. Our arrival is several weeks before Fat Tuesday, but does mark the Mardi Gras season and parades. In past years the Krewe du Vieux was always the first parade, but that's not the case now and there were several during our week in New Orleans. Regardless, once the first parade occurs, the word on the street is "Happy Mardi Gras". 

The French Quarter is the center of most events, Bourbon Street, the most famous of New Orleans streets, runs through the center. Parades have a tendency to avoid the congestion and insanity of Bourbon and travel through on neighboring streets. We (the workshop attendees) have learned that the more you are dressed up, the more likely you are to come home with parade trinkets that are thrown your way. Given the times and Covid concerns I only attended one parade, The Krewe du Vieux, which was smaller than usual, and only slightly less congested. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun.

I have photographed this individual 3 times over the years and was actually looking for him. Always on a bike with a great big smile. The following are years 2019 and 2020.

The weather was fantastic and many of the decorated businesses and homes still had hanging baskets out as well as lots of decorations:

For a second time we went to the Broad Theater to catch our own movie with dinner and drinks in the lobby. The movie was "Extra Ordinary" and Rotten Tomatoes had this to say about it: "Extra Ordinary" is an extraordinarily funny tale about ghostbusting, lonely hearts and moving on. It'll possess you. And I couldn't agree more, it was a blast!

The class began on a Sunday and wrapped up on the following Saturday. Our goal was to create a journal style piece of art with the theme of "Dante's Infernal Journal". And I will add that this was one of the harder themes, at least for me. Before the real journal work began, we had a class with Andrea Matus deMeng, Michaels wife. Lighthearted and really fun, we altered cabinet cards by changing the faces to pets. 

In working on the real theme and doing some homework, it boils down to 9 layers to hell, each layer is named, examples include treachery, gluttony, lust, greed, etc... The devil himself lies in the River Styx, where the dammed souls are swept away on their way to the lower level of hell. There were many remarkable pieces of art that came from this study of Dante's Inferno and so many interpretations. Some managed to complete the project - I was not one of them. Here is a sampling from the group:

I have since finished what I was working on, here is Dante's Infernal Journal, complete with the devil in his hellish dormer:

the counter is for the souls as they pass through

the treatment for the inside cover is much like the plastered stickers that are everywhere in New Orleans

Our teacher held a critique on the final day, which is worth the price of admission. Dressed in his workshop finest, it used to be white.

Happy Mardi Gras!

 

Back to New Orleans

After a 3 year wait, the art retreat to New Orleans was up and running. The theme, originally scheduled for 2021, was Dante's Inferno, or more accurately Dante's Infernal Journal. To that end we were asked to create a journal style piece of art, something that opened like a book, creating a cover and an inside. 

Extracurricular activities fill many days and nights, so a week in New Orleans is fun and unlike any other place I know. During one of our first breakfast outings, the chef asked us where we were from and why we were there. After learning about our teacher and art medium, he was very interested and mentioned that New Orleans is like a giant assemblage, with the streets, buildings, and people very layered in their style and art. And so began our week and my attention to the layers of this crazy city. 

Street art is everywhere, even the downspouts are plastered with stickers and grafitti.

the card holder for this shop is a mousetrap

angels on a hearse

Preservation Hall is always a stop and the band was also playing at Tipitinas, a two story bar and music hall. The Spotted Cat is another required stop, we were dropped off at the finish of our carriage ride - of course.

Our group gathered together with costumes, to walk in our own Second Line Parade. We always gather in the hotel lobby, to admire and take photographs.

Dante's Inferno is a journey through hell, with 9 layers, one of which is gluttony. Here we have some glutinous pigs. All very friendly.

and my costume

One of our tours was the St. Louis Cemetery no. 1, where Marie Laveau is buried, the renowned VooDoo Queen. 

In my next post I will share some of the art work and the crazy Krewe du Vieux parade photographs. The return home to my little country house seems so far flung from the crazy life of the French Quarter. As a tourist for this event that numbers 10 years, I have lots of fond memories and truly wonderful friends from many different locations.

 

 

Street Art, Plant Art, Art Art in Mexico

From the everyday meals or walking the cobblestone streets, art and color come in so many glorious forms in Oaxaca, Mexico. Elevated for Day of the Dead, as it is for the Radish Festival, the Guelaguetza  (Ethnic Folk Festival), or The Festival for the Virgin of Guadalupe, flowers are present in abundance, brightly colored dress is commonplace and decorations compete from door to door, shop to shop. These are some of the store fronts and large Catrina's set up along the main cobblestone street. The majority of shops and our hotel have a low tray for customers to step into and then dry as a form of sanitizing your shoes. Many also took your temperature and all gave you hand sanitizer as you entered.

The use of plants, particularly as architectural accents is amazing. This bench and climbing epiphyllum were in the stamp museum, the others in a small shopping mall.

Street art is rich and apparently wildly accepted.

I could add an entire blog just about the cooking class, which included a stop at the market for these fresh squash blossoms, among other things:

The house where the class was held, the courtyard, the table settings and food, everything was artfully creative.

And the reason for being there was a class for building a heart shrine. Our host, the talented and fun to be around Michael deMeng guided us through the various styles of heart symbolism and we set out to complete at least 1 project. I created 2 and was very happy with them, which is not always the case, but put me in a very good mood (plus a little mescal).

I added some ribbon down each side once home, so now it's really finished.

    

In the end, I was so happy that I bravely traveled to Mexico. Once I was deposited in the hotel and met my fellow art family, it was a week of companionship and art. I leave this adventure with a few more photographs of street people and ofrendas.

 

 

 

Just Wow!

With my trip to Mexico and back, I feel so thankful to have made it there and home again with no alterations in my plans. The art group met after a 2 year absence and it was so wonderful to be back with each other and doing what we love. Add to that a whole lot of adventures and meals that were some of the best I have ever eaten, I think that it was a delightful trip for everyone. The country was prepared for tourists with extra precautions at almost every stop, sterilize shoes - take temperature - apply hand sanitizer, and wear masks. 

My last photograph with my iPhone may have summed up the trip, but there are many taken with my real camera. This was the evening before the early morning (3:30) cab ride to the airport. There are certainly overlapping themes, Day of the Dead, bright colors, skilled artists, and a town that lives for tourism. 

A lot of the pets were also prepared for Halloween and Day of the Dead. Some were real show offs.

The street artists and art are as colorful as the surrounds. Houses are painted in bright colors, the local woman wear gorgeous dresses and aprons, it's truly a land of bold colors.

Trips to local towns took us to specialized communities of clay, wool, and candle artists. With each stop we were introduced to how the products are mined, harvested, and created, almost all built and managed by women. 

Just about all of the women work in these incredibly colorful clothes which are very traditional. The tools here are corn cobs, and pieces of soccer ball to shape this Comal, used for heating food, especially tortillas. A clothesline outside the house held more of their brightly colored dresses and aprons, the house was painted purple.

The candle makers are very specialized and I think the photographs will illustrate the skill which is passed from generation to generation in all of these pursuits.

This single candle is for a wedding. They are also made for engagements, the larger the candle the more likely the forthcoming nuptials. The details in the flowers is astonishing.

The weavers work with many natural dye ingredients, particularly cochineal for red, a scale insect on the local cactus. In the weaver's town, looms are in every house, on most porches, possibly in some bedrooms.

In a tropical climate, the use of plants combined with architecture really caught my attention in the town of Oaxaca. That and a cooking class, our own art class, and more adventures will be in the content of my next follow-up of Mexico in 2021. 

Ya Me Voy

With much planning and finger crossing, I should be in Mexico this week to celebrate Day of the Dead. Joining the group that I often travel with, the art supplies have been gathered and the bags are almost packed. We are making heart shrines, or an object or two along those lines. The area we are traveling to is on the "green list" aka the non-red list, and there are a number of protocols that have to be followed, including masks everywhere. All of these outings were cancelled last year, so of course I'm eager to go back and embrace the culture. 

I've been taking Spanish lessons online for a month, to be better prepared and I'm even taking a cooking class while I'm there. So ya me voy, it's gonna be an adventure!

 

Day of the Dead

While in Oaxaca, Mexico last year, I photographed many things. Between the ofrendas, cemetery visits, and architecture, it was an amazing trip. Bright and colorful is the norm, but for Day of the Dead or All Souls Day, everything is escalated. Cobbled streets, door ways, just about everything is festooned with intricately cut paper flags which are also known as papel picado.

Flowers are shipped in by the truck load from local fields to fill ofrendas, cemeteries and add ornament to entry ways.

Ofrendas are everywhere, in many sizes. A special bread is baked and offered at market, sold as pan de muerto or bread of the dead, it's yet another offering to lure ancestors to visit. 

In one particular market, a local celebrity is known as the Frida Kahlo look alike;

Cemeteries open for all night celebrations with music, food, drink and family conversations. Special candles are three feet tall, to burn the whole night. My first cemetery visit was a thing of reverence. So deep was this feeling that I don't think I can fully explain the experience. 

This year I have created my own ofrenda. There is no doubt that the creation or execution of something so special gives one pause and brings up many emotions. Tonight I will share time with special people that have passed. Some I haven't thought of in a very long time. 

It becomes a journey into the past and reflective examination, a pause in our busy lives. 

 

Happy Halloween

This time last year I was in Mexico for Day of the Dead festivities. So much has changed with events cancelled all over the world, even though they may have been going on for many, many years. I suspect that there might be some small gatherings but I understand that the cemeteries are closed and I doubt there are parades.  My first stop was Mexico City which is a vibrant, jam packed metropolis. I've decided to revisit my photographs and take a look at the city again and the events that happen there for the last days of October. It's impossible to not notice the ornate architecture and presence of art.

In the main zocalo there are vendors, indigenous people quite often, selling their wares. These are examples of feathered head dress which were spectacular.

Our group visited the Palacio Nacional where Diego Rivera fresco murals are housed (one a a few locations). These enormous murals extend for several floors and it's very obvious that Diego told stories with his painting, even as he recorded the history of the city. Familiar faces can be spotted from time to time, including Frida Kahlo and Diego. This mural depicts a local dentist and doctor as well as tables spread with food.

There was a bug show at the Palacio Nacional with these ants made of dried vines and twigs.

The show would not be complete with out an alebrije bee.

The Mexico City post office is one of many architectural wonders.

As was the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Marigolds are the flowers of the season, decorating ofrendas, gravesites, buildings, and all manor of shops. The front of this restaurant displayed an entire façade of marigold flowers, placed one by one.

 

Ofrendas are not as common here as the are in further south, particularly in Oaxaca, but can be found. The small and large ofrendas are built to remember those that have parted and offer them items they enjoyed. Photographs are placed and candles are lit, all to celebrate The Day of the Dead.

A  visit to Frida Kahlo's blue house was a big highlight and most of the house was kept as she left it. This is one of her easels with art supplies and the view of her courtyard.

The kitchen was colorful and bright, a warm and cozy setting.

After the accident that left Frida immobilized, she painted many self portraits.

My sister and I managed to meet up with Elin (we attended high school together in Mexico City) at the San Angel Inn, which was fabulous. Elin decided to live in Mexico and I have been fortunate to meet up with her twice in the last few years. There are many times that I envy her life.

We would be off to Oaxaca soon and I will share some photographs that haven't been shared yet. Since I'm home I carved my Halloween pumpkins again and would like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. 

 

Fat Tuesday

Cheers to Fat Tuesday, to my artist friends that gather in New Orleans, and to the crazy krewe's that perform in the parades of New Orleans. I will end this year's chapter with a look back at my last parade and the fabulous art that was created during our Ghost Rider workshop. The theme's for each year are decided by our instructor Michael deMeng and this one was also titled "The Krewe du Ghoul Workshop" which translates to parade ready ghost assemblage. Working towards a theme can be a delightful exercise in creativity or not! I used roller skate parts to build mine and it sits on a stage with magnets embedded to hold it in place. As usual, I built 2 pieces, but one was much, much smaller. 

And here are all of the other assembled ghouls.

The Krewe du Vieux parade was its usual risque act, these are censored photographs.

This was the Transformers Krewe - Revenge of the Storm Drains and they were busily picking up items to recycle.

And thanks to Thom Ciulla I have this photograph of our parade through the French Quarter where we don't attract as large a crowd but we take it seriously.

And another fun year down!

Happy Mardi Gras!

 

And so Mardi Gras Begins

The parades continued, passing through the French Quarter, it was a short walk to catch the next one, titled "Krewe Boheme'. I'm not sure it has a real theme, described as "Artsy and Inventive", that it certainly was. 

Things are still pretty tame, the rowdy parade is on Saturday and it's not for the easily offended. Meanwhile we had a wonderful night at the Broad Theater with our own big screen show of "Beetlejuice". There was food and cocktails and some dancing in the aisles!

Also a day trip to the Barataria Preserve, which was right up my alley. Drippy Spanish moss, alligators, resurrection ferns, and cypress knees.

Spring was already arriving with the first week of February and maple flowers in New Orleans. Once home I found my snowdrops and winter aconite in bloom, a different kind of spring offering but one that brings a smile.

Playing Dress-up in New Orleans

As an art group we are in class on most days but for extracurricular activities we are lead by Katherine Engen who lets us know when it's appropriate to don wigs and makeup. There are many occasions in New Orleans to get fancy, it is the town that loves to wear costumes.

This is Katherine Engen and myself, getting ready to see a parade. The more you dress-up, the more goodies are thrown your way, in fact it's best to take a bag for the collection of oddities that you collect.

We also participated in our own Second Line Parade and the great costume reveal was held in the lobby of the hotel. I must add that the workshop this year was titled "Ghost Riders" which was a bit "wide open", so some came as their favorite dead person. I was Frida Khalo.

Karla had joined the group, a friend from Merrifield Garden Center and she came ready to party having just flown in from Wisconsin. This group is well known for their costume prowess, every year it seems to get better!

KD came as "Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl", and she rocked the costume.

We cause such a stir in the lobby of the hotel that guests want to pose with us. Oh it's fun!

I think we did a good job.